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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Confession Tuesday

Had I not seen January's confessions this morning, I would have completely missed Confession Tuesday. This is what Winter Break does to me, it makes me live the retired life where I'm not aware of dates or week days.

Reader, I have not told you all the information this year. I have left some things out.

This confession will confess to you all the things I haven't mentioned (or think I haven't mentioned).

Just as I am cleaning and clearing my home, I will end 2009 with Confessions I May Have Neglected Throughout 2009 or it could be called "My Shallow Life..."

To the confessional--

I confess I have read some books I haven't mentioned here.

As you read the titles, you can come up with your own ideas why I haven't posted them on my blog. Some, I just felt didn't really apply, but others, oh Reader, I ate the Twinkies in the closet of the wine tasting party, you will understand how they didn't make my list...

And last summer, I checked out from the library, from the librarians who know me best because they see all the books I take home, I checked out and read Rosie O'Donnell's Celebrity Detox: (The Fame Game) (I did, Reader, I brought it to the beach and read the whole thing...and I enjoyed it.)

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Speaking of Rosie, I realized yesterday while folding my laundry and watching Ellen, some of my favorite celebrity women host talk shows (or did)-- Oprah, Ellen Degeneres, and Rosie O'Donnell. Reader, I love (or loved) these talk shows, but I only allow myself to watch them when I am doing laundry. And to show my shallowness even more, I confess I also enjoy The View's Hot Topics and watch that at the gym when I'm on the treadmill.

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Now the confession about the gym, I have a membership, but haven't been to the gym to "workout" (i.e. treadmill, weights) in months. I have gone to my yoga class. You may ask how a poor poet can keep her gym membership she doesn't use, all that wasted money... Dear Reader, I signed up for the gym when I first moved here because it was cheaper to pay the gym membership dues ($20 a month) than to pay for 8 yoga sessions a month ($8-10 a class x 8 = $64- $80).

Dear Reader, we are a small town with old contracts, I still pay that $20 a month.

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Dear Reader, since we're on the topic of money, I think I could confess a few things.

I am a paradox when it comes to money, but if you look deeper, you will see I am not, that my values and beliefs remain true. I try to live simply and frugally, but I also believe in living "a good life" and do not believe that living simply = the art of self-sacrifice.

Here are things I spent my money on this year that were expensive--

1) A new MacBook

2) An iPhone

3) Hedgebrook with Carolyn Forche

Here are some areas where I didn't spend much--

1) Clothes (I haven't spent more than $20 for a pair of jeans in ten years)

I find most of my clothes in consignment shops and 2 years ago discovered TJ Maxx.

2) TV/Movies - we have basic cable $35 and pay $8 a month for 1 movie (& all the free watch instantly movies) on Netflix. Unless it's a great movie, I rarely see it in the theatre. Though we will do a kid's movie matinee with our daughter at our local adorable new movie theatre.

3) Eating out, we rarely do it. The exception is when it's a social event with friends or family for something special, then I love to take part. I am very much a believer in having experiences than having things in life.

I confess I believe you should use your money to buy you time and experiences in your life.

Also, on the things you love or will really help you in your life and writing life (i.e. a laptop, writing experiences, etc.), buy the best you can afford. Save money on the things that don't matter to you.

Things I remind myself off-

Try not to be dazzled by shiny things that I only "want" but don't need.

Never buy anything I don't love

Keep my receipts

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I confess to save money, this year I downgraded our cable to "Family Tier," which basically gives us the regular channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS), Discovery, History, the food channel, HGTV, and about 10 channels of infomercials and did not tell my family.

What I love? Because there is NOTHING (literally nothing) on TV anymore, no one watches it and it's been so long now, no one complains because they've forgotten how it once was to live with 80 channels. Dear Reader, it's awesome! I should have done it long ago.

I also confess I've never paid for a TV. All of ours have been hand-me-downs.

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I confess I believe having a housekeeper come in 2x a month is cheaper than marriage counseling.

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I confess I constantly say, "Turn off the lights, you're killing the polar bears" in my house. It's an awkward reference to global warming and saving energy. I'm sure my daughter will need therapy later in life because of it.

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As for poetry, I confess I've been pretty open. I've told you about my book rejections, my feelings about writing, about submitting.

I confess my goals for submitting this year are much less. In fact, I have no goals for submitting poems. If I send some work out, then I do. If I don't, then I don't.

I confess, I hate submitting work. I like the writing part of it, not the submitting.

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And Paperback Swap-- I have been meaning to mention this to you. It's wonderful! You post your old books and if someone chooses it, you ship it to them (you pick up the cost) and receive one credit to choose whatever book you want to be shipped to you for free. It's a great way not to have to purchase new books while getting rid of books you no longer want.

And the books don't just have to be paperback either.

Anyway, it's one of my favorite websites.

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Dear Reader, like cleaning and clearing my home, I am cleaned my mind. It came out kind of messy, but it's there. Confessions left and right, or left and write.

Thank you for listening to me confess this year. It's nice to know someone is reading this, whether you comment or not, I appreciate you showing up to my blog. Thank you.